Air conditioning apparatus for motor vehicles



July 4, 1939, 5 2,164,566

AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS FOR MOTOR VEHICLES Filed June 1 0, 1937 v715. 1 fir INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY5.

Patented July 4, 1939 4 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE AIR CONDITIONINGAPPARATUS roa oron VEHICLES Itobert Lee Bunting, Danville, 111.Application June 10, 1937, Serial No.-14'l,421

Claims. (Cl. 261-103) This invention relates to air conditioning ap--paratus for motor vehicles.

The principal object of the invention is to clean, cool and humidify theincoming air in mo- 5 tor car bodies and thus to add to the comfort,health and safety of the occupants.

Another object of the invention in one of its preferred forms is toprevent the accumulation of dry dust and dirt upon the floor of suchvehicles. A certain amount of such dust and dirt is invariably presentin the average motor car and-has been known to cause serious accidentswhen blownintothe face and eyes of the driver by a sudden opening of thecowl ventilator or a window when the car is travelling at high speed.Another object of the invention is to insulate the interior ,of a motorvehicle, and particularly the front seat space, from the heat of theengine and from heat rising from the pavement.

' Another object of the invention is generally to improve the details.of air cooling and humidifying apparatus and to adapt the same to motorvehicles.

In one of its preferred forms, the invention includes a base mat ion thefloor of the front seat space of an automobide, said mat having areceptacle in which there is placed an absorbent material kept saturatedwith water from a suitable supply tank. A weight-supporting grill workpreferably covers the absorbent material to prevent wetting oi. theshoes and clothing of the occupants.

The apparatus just described, located on the floor of the front seatspace, is in the path of the as air current entering by the cowlventilator.

Evaporation caused by the passage of this air current over the saturatedabsorbent serves to cool and moisten the air immediately upon entranceinto the interior of the car.

no Qne feature of the invention resides in the provision of positivemeans for supplying the necessary moisture for saturating the absorbent.

Other objects and features of the invention will be understood from theaccompanying drawing as andthe following description and claims:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a portion of a motor vehiclehaving a preferred form of the invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is aplan view of the flooring of the front seat space of the lit vehicleshowing the same form of the invention.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the principal parts of theinvention when embodied in the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 4 is aperspective view of another part of the invention. Fig.

1 5 is a sectional view taken on the line of Fig.

4. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a form of floor grill used with thestructure illustrated in the W preceding figures.

Referring particularly to the form of the invention shown by way ofillustration in Figs. 1 6 to 6, inclusive, there is illustrated in thedrawing a portion of a motor vehicle having the usual front seat l0,flooring ll, dash l2, instrument board I3, cowl ventilator l4, engine J5and hood l6. Beneath the hood Hi there is provided a 10 water tank l1having an outlet pipe l8 communicating with the valve Ill. The valve 19is provided with an extension rod 20 and control knob 2|, thelatterbeing mounted upon the instrument board l3 and being adapted to controlthe flow of water through the valve l9. From the valve iii, a conduit22, preferably a flexible rubber hose, leads downwardly to supply waterto the cooling and humidifying apparatus hereinafter described.

L Resting on the flooring ii there are provided 0 a pair of base mats 23and 24, the mat 23 being shown in detail in Fig. 3. Said mats maybeconstructed of any suitable material, but preferably a form of rubber isused. The mat 23 is provided about three sides with an upraised rim 25defining 25 a central receptacle or tray 26. The extreme upper edge ofthe mat a3 is provided with a lip 2? adapted to receive a manifold 28connected by a pipe 29 to the conduit 22. The manifold 28 is formed asbest seen in Figs. tend 5 and the lower W edge thereof is shaped toclamp about a strip 8d of absorbent material, the upper edges of thestrip extending upwardly into a longitudinal ope 36 within the manifold2%. A sheet 32 of absorbent material is detachably secured to the 35strip by snap fasteners 33 or other suitable means and is shaped tosubstantially cover the surface of the tray 25. The strip 38 and sheet32 are preferably of some fabric adapted to absorb and retain arelatively large supply of water. it Turkish toweling has been foundsatisfactory. Other substances, not fabrics, suchas felt or sponge, mayalso be used. A drain 35 passing through the flooring H is provided foreach of the mats 23 and 2 8. A grill 35, best shown in at Fig. 6 andpreferably of perforated sheet metal construction, is provided with legs3t adapted to fit within the tray 25 and serves to cover the horizontalportion/of the sheet 32 and to prevent wetting of the feetiand garmentsof the occuso pants. The legs 36 are sufiiciently long to support thegrill 35 above the level of the sheet 32 and thus to permit completecirculation of air beneath the grill. The holes in the grill preferablyhave a greater total area than the metallic surface thereof so thegreater part of the area of sheet 32 is completely exposed. A similargrill 3] covers the upwardly sloping part of the tray 26.

The mat 24 is provided with a similar sheet of absorbent materialconnected to the water supply tank by a conduit 38' and with a similargrill 39. The mat 24 extends only part way up the inclined part of theflooring H in order to avoid the brake and clutch pedals and accelerator4|.

In the use of this form of the invention, the valve I9 is set to providea flow of water sufficient to make up for evaporation and to keep theabsorbent sheets in a saturated condition. These sheets are directly inthe path of the air flow from the cowl ventilator M as shown by arrowsin Fig. 1. In hot weather, this rapidly moving stream of air causes alarge evaporation of water from the sheet 32 and is thus cooled andmoistened to provide much greater comfort. At the same time, due to thegrill openings and the space between the wet sheet and grill, it isimpossible for dry dust and dirt to accumulate on the floor of the car.There is, therefore, no danger or discomfort from flying particles ofdirt when the cowl ventilator is opened, no matter what the speed of thear. When it is desired to clean the device, it is only necessary toremove the grills 35, 31 and 39 and then to detach the sheets 32 fromtheir associated strips 30, wash the same and replace. The removal andreplacement need take only a few minutes. In cold weather the pipe 29may be disconnected from the conduit 22 and the whole structure removedfrom the floor. It is obvious that the device may beinstalled as anaccessory on a car already in use as well as during the manufacture ofthe car.

The foregoing specification describes a preferred form of the inventionbut variations may obviously be made therein without departing from thescope thereof as defined by the appended claims.

The invention claimed is:

1. In a motor vehicle having a cowl ventilator, an open water absorbentand diffusing means arranged on the floor of said vehicle in position toreceive a stream of air from said ventilator, and a reticulatedweight-bearing cover therefor.

2. In a motor vehicle having a cowl ventilator, an open water absorbentand diffusing means arranged on the floor of said vehicle in position toreceive a stream of air from said ventilator, and means protecting theoccupants of the car against contact therewith but leaving the greaterpart of said first mentioned means open to the atmosphere.

3. In a motor vehicle, the combination of a tray-like structure placedon the floor of said vehicle, a sheet of absorbent material resting insaid tray, a water supply reservoir, and a manifold adapted to receivewater therefrom and to supply the same to one edge of said sheet.

4. In a motor vehicle, the combination of a tray-like structure placedon the floor of said vehicle, a sheet ofabsorbent material resting insaid tray, a water supply reservoir, a manifold adapted to receive watertherefrom, a strip of absorbent material having one edge projectingwithin the manifold, and means detachably securing together said sheetand strip.

5. In a motor vehicle, an open water absorbent and diffusing meansarranged on the floor of said vehicle, and a reticulated weight-bearingcover therefor, said cover being spaced above said means to permitcirculation of air therebetween.

ROBERT LEE BUNTING.

